The actions of the Russian occupiers at the Zaporizhzhia NPP provoked mass fish mortality in the plant's cooling pond, the press service of National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom has reported.

According to the press service, as a result of the shutdown of the plant's power units, warm water does not enter the ZNPP cooling pond, as a result of which the water temperature dropped to almost 13 degrees Celsius.

"This has led to mass fish mortality in the pond. It is currently stocked with two species of fish – warm water tilapia and Asian catfish, which were introduced about 25 years ago to ensure environmental cleanliness. The fish perform a sanitary function, destroying green algae and keeping the cooling pipes clean turbine condenser," Energoatom said.

"In conditions when the temperature never dropped below 18 degrees Celsius in winter, the fish bred. So if the water temperature in the cooling pond does not rise in the near future, about 1,000 tonnes of dead fish will be thrown ashore," the company said in the report.